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News Release 5465 Mark Dabling Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80918-3842 http://www.usabasketball.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / May 10, 2005 For further information contact Craig Miller, Caroline Williams, or Kate Lakin at USA Basketball (719) 590-4800. *This release is also available on USA Basketball's World Wide Web homepage - http://www.usabasketball.com. An Abundance Of Talent To Be Featured At May 19-22 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials -- Trials To Determine Finalists For 2005 USA U19 World Championship And World University Games Teams -- COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 10, 2005) – With 57 top American players accepting invitations to the 2005 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials, there will be no shortage of talent or players with USA Basketball experience. The 2005 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials are set to take place May 19-22 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Invitations to the Trials were issued by the USA Basketball Women’s Collegiate Committee, chaired by Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice-president for Division I women's basketball. Following the four-day Trials the Collegiate Committee will 2005 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials announce finalists for the 12-member 2005 USA Women’s U19 World Championship Team (formerly known as the Junior World Dates: May 19-22, 2005 Championship Team) and the 12-member USA World University Site: U.S. Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Games Team. The 2005 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials 2005 FIBA U19 World Championship Dates: July 15-24, 2005 begin Thursday, May 19, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. (all times MDT). Site: Hammamet and Tunis, Tunisia Sessions for the U19 team candidates will be held from 8:30-10:30 USA Coaching Staff: a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 20, and 10:00 a.m.-12:00 Head Coach: Gail Goestenkors, Duke University p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. Trials sessions for the (N.C.) Assistant Coaches: Felisha Legette-Jack, Hofstra World University Games team candidates will be held 9:00-11:00 a.m. University (N.Y.), and Carol Ross, University of and 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 20, and from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Mississippi. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. The Trials will conclude on 2005 World University Games Sunday, May 22 with a session from 8:00-10:00 a.m. Finalists for Dates: August 11-21, 2005 both the USA U19 and World University Games squads will be Site: Izmir, Turkey announced following the May 22 session. All Trials sessions will be USA Coaching Staff: Head Coach: Kathy Delaney-Smith, Harvard held in Sports Center II. University (Mass.). Of the expected 57 Trials participants, of which 37 boast of Assistant Coaches: Pokey Chatman, Louisiana prior USA Basketball experience, 33 are only eligible, because of age, State University, and Cathy Inglese, Boston College (Mass.). for selection to the USA World University Games Team; 13 trials participants who were born on or after Jan. 1, 1986 (19-years-old or younger) and have completed at least one year of college eligibility are eligible for selection to either the USA U19 or the USA World University Games teams; while the remaining 11 invitees who graduate from high school in 2005 and are born on or after Jan. 1, 1986, are eligible for only the USA U19 World Championship Team. Trials invitees eligible for only the World University Games Team include: Seimone Augustus (LSU / Baton Rouge, La.); Alison Bales (Duke / Dayton, Ohio); Kim Beck (George Washington / Fairburn, Ga.); Nikki Blue (UCLA / Bakersfield, Calif.); Lindsay Bowen (Michigan State / Dansville, Mich.); Jazz Covington (Louisville / Adel, Ga.); Monique Currie (Duke / Washington, D.C.); Jessica Davenport (Ohio State / Columbus, Ohio); Dee Davis (Vanderbilt / Cincinnati, Ohio); Candice Dupree (Temple / Tampa, Fla.); Megan Duffy (Notre Dame / Dayton, Ohio); Sylvia Fowles (LSU / Miami, Fla.); Erin Grant (Texas Tech / Arlington, Texas); Tiffany Green (Old Dominion / Cheaspeake, Va.); Kiera Hardy (Nebraska / Kansas City, Mo.); Brandie Hoskins (Ohio State / Dayton, Ohio); Tiffany Jackson (Texas / Dallas, Texas); Helen Johnson (Gulf Coast C.C. / Milwaukee, Wis.); Ivory Latta (North Carolina / McConnells, S.C.); Camille Little (North Carolina / Winston-Salem, N.C.); Shaquina Mosley (Central Arizona College / Lancaster, Calif.); Eshaya Murphy (USC / Van Nuys, Calif.): Shawntinice Polk (Arizona / Hanford, Calif.); Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers / Chicago, Ill.); Armintie Price (Mississippi / Blue Mountain, Miss.); Noelle Quinn (UCLA / Los Angeles, Calif.): Leah Rush (Oklahoma / Amarillo, Texas); Liz Shimek (Michigan State / Empire, Mich.); Brooke Smith (Stanford / San Anselmo, Calif.); Wanisha Smith (Duke / Upper Marlboro, Md.); Tiffany Stansbury (North Carolina State / Philadelphia, Pa.); Emily Westerberg (Arizona State / Greenacres, Wash.); and Lisa Willis (UCLA / Long Beach, Calif.). Accepting invites to the 2005 Trials and eligible for selection for either USA team are: Jolene Anderson (Wisconsin / Port Wing, WI); Nicky Anosike (Tennessee / Staten Island, N.Y.); Essence Carson (Rutgers / Paterson, N.J.); Quianna Chaney (LSU / Baton Rouge, La.); Crystal Langhorne (Maryland / Willingboro, N.J.); Erlana Larkins (North Carolina / Riviera Beach, Fla.); Camille LeNoir (USC / Los Angeles, Calif.); Samantha Mahoney (Kentucky / West Bloomfield, Mich.); Lindsey Pluimer (UCLA / San Clemente, Calif.); Erica White (LSU / Jacksonville, Fla.); Khadijah Whittington (North Carolina State / Roanoke, Va.); Candice Wiggins (Stanford / Poway, Calif.); and Sharnee’ Zoll (Virginia / Philadelphia, Pa.). Eligible for selection for only the USA U19 World Championship Team are: Erika Arriaran (Norco High School / Norco, Calif); Keshonda Carrier (LaGrange High School / Lake Charles, La.); Marissa Coleman (St. Johns College High School / Cheltenham, Md.); Renee Montgomery (South Charleston High School / St. Albans, W.V.); Ashley Paris (Piedmont High School / Piedmont, Calif.); Courtney Paris (Piedmont High School / Piedmont, Calif.); Kristi Toliver (Harrison High School / Harrison, Va.); Ashlee Trebilcock (Hart High School / Santa Clarita, Calif.); Abby Waner (Thunder Ridge High School / Highlands Ranch, Colo.); Earnesia Williams (Sapulpa High School / Sapulpa, Okla.); and Christina Wirth (Seton Catholic High School / Mesa, Ariz.). Of the 37 players possessing prior USA Basketball experience, eight of the 12 members who made up the 2004 USA U19 World Championship Qualifying Team that captured gold are back, including -- Carson, Coleman, Larkins, Courtney Paris, Waner, Wiggins and Wirth. Of the eight, Courtney Paris is the leading scorer among the returners having averaged a team second best 15.8 ppg. and a team leading 9.0 rpg. Wiggins averaged 12.4 ppg. and 4.8 rpg.; Waner tossed in 12.0 ppg. and 3.8 assists; Larkins accounted for 9.2 ppg. and 6.0 rpg.; Carson scored 8.7 ppg.; Coleman added 8.2 ppg.; Arrian posted 7.4 ppg. and 4.2 apg.; and Wirth contributed 1.8 ppg. Additionally, Augustus, Pondexter and Polk were members of the 2003 USA World Championship For Young Women Team that finished 7-1 and captured the world title. Augustus started all eight games and averaged a team best 10.6 ppg. and 3.8 rpg., while shooting 59.1 percent from the field. Augustus was named the Most Valuable Player of the ‘03 FIBA World Championship For Young Women, and later was honored by USA Basketball as its 2003 Female Athlete of the Year. Polk accounted for 8.4 ppg. and 5.1 rpg. in 2003, while Pondexter started all eight games and recorded 5.3 ppg. and 1.0 apg. Currie and Pondexter were teammates on the 2001 Junior World Championship Team that finished 6-1 and won bronze. Pondexter averaged a team third best 11.0 ppg. and 2.6 rpg., while Currie averaged 3.2 ppg. and 2.2 rpg. Pondexter returned the following summer and played on the gold medal winning 2002 World Championship For Young Women Team, and averaged 8.8 ppg., 2.5 rpg., and a team leading 6.5 apg. Additional USA Basketball experience comes in the form of USA Basketball’s annual Women’s Youth Development Festival. 30 of the 57 Trials invitees have participated in the Youth Development Festival. Players from or committed to attend 32 colleges/universities are involved in the Trials, and a total of six 2005 All- Americans further underscore the strength of the USA candidates. Augustus, Currie and Davenport were all 2005 Associated Press (A.P.) All-American first team choices, while Wiggins earned second team accolades, and Latta and Jackson were third team selections. Additionally, Blue, Bowen, Duffy, Dupree, Fowles, Pondexter and Shimek collected A.P. All-American honorable mention honors. At the junior college/community college level, Mosley was named by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as the 2005 Junior College / Community College Player of the Year, and Mosley and Johnson were named to the 2005 JC/CC WBCA All-America First Team. The Trials group also collected impressive conference honors. Currie earned ACC Player of the Year honors and Langhorne was the ACC Rookie of the Year; Dupree was the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year and Beck was the conference’s Rookie of the Year; Davenport was the Big Ten’s Player of the Year and Anderson was Freshman of the Year; Wiggins swept the Pacific 10 Conference honors for Player and Freshman of the Year; Augustus was the SEC Player of the Year. At the high school level, Courtney Paris was named the 2005 USA Today Player of the Year and was honored as the Naismith Trophy Female High School Player of the Year, while Parade Magazine and the WBCA selected Arriaran as their Player of the Year, and Gatorade tagged Waner as its National Player of the Year. 2005 FIBA U19 World Championship Duke University (N.C.) head coach Gail Goestenkors has been selected to lead the 2005 USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Championship Team, and will be assisted by Hofstra University’s (N.Y.) Felisha Legette-Jack and the University of Mississippi’s Carol Ross.